DVD REVIEWS OF NEW RELEASES A FITTING FINALE FOR MIDDLE-EARTH.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

Although author J.R.R. Tolkien never ascribed specific real-world events as inspiration for his monumental fantasy ``The Lord of the Rings,'' no doubt his experiences in the trenches of World War I had an impact. In Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning best picture, ``The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' - the adaptation of the third part of Tolkien's trilogy - the director stays true to the author's vision, particularly in an important way that some filmgoers criticized.

At three hours and 20 minutes, ``King'' is an epic moviegoing experience worth the time because of the humanity that Jackson has invested in the characters - whether Hobbits or a wretched creature like the CGI Gollum. But while much of the action ends some 20 minutes before the end, Jackson followed the story through. It would have been easy for him to give us those grand (overblown) endings that George Lucas popularized with the first ``Star Wars'' back in 1977. Moviegoers seem almost conditioned for such nice, neat conclusions that ignore the body count. But Jackson showed us the war's aftermath, something Tolkien witnessed firsthand. Not only did he see friends and compatriots killed in World War I, but he saw how some of them were broken by the brutal fighting.

Most are like Sam (Sean Astin), the Hobbit who helped the ring bearer, Frodo (Elijah Wood), get through the long ordeal. They are able to return home and take up their lives again, though the war is always somewhere in the background. I see that in my nearly 80-year-old father, a veteran of of World War II, who remains active in his local VFW. Then there are the Frodos of the world, who despite (or because of) their innate gentleness and goodness, are forever scarred by the horrors of war and have trouble adjusting. I've seen that in Vietnam War vets I've known.

While some filmgoers may have gotten antsy at the end of ``King,'' it's a testament to Jackson that he kept Tolkien's reminder that war doesn't end with the last battle. It's a timely thought made more poignant by the fact that most who go off to defend their country are like Frodo, who said in the first book/movie, ``The Fellowship of the Ring,'' ``I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.''

For those of you hoping for the ultimate ``King,'' you'll have to wait for Christmas, when the extended version arrives. The extras on this one are adequate, with a number of features and featurettes. Some, like the National Geographic special, you may have caught on television.

``The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' (New Line; $29.95). The two-disc set includes three in-depth documentaries and six featurettes.

'Bubba Ho-Tep'

B-movie king Bruce Campbell calls the character he plays in ``Bubba Ho-Tep,'' the offbeat action comedy based on a story by Joe R. Lansdale, ``kind of sensitive.'' That is, if you call a 70-year-old Elvis with his ``mojo gone ... just an old man with a bad hip and cancer on his penis'' sensitive.

Yes, Campbell, who made his mark in the ``Evil Dead'' trilogy, directed by his buddy Sam Raimi (``Spider-Man''), is playing a King who's confined to a Texas nursing home in this wacked-out film written and directed by Don Coscarelli.

Picture this: Elvis, tired of fame back in the late-'70s, swaps identities with an Elvis impersonator, who promptly dies, leaving no proof of the trade. The real Elvis is then forced to continue living as an Elvis impersonator, which he gladly does until he delivers one too many kicks during his act, falls off the stage and breaks his hip. He then lives out his twilight years in a run-down nursing home.

As an old man, everything's gone - we mean everything. An attractive woman may pass by strutting her stuff and not even consider that this shell of a man, now with a walker, was a super sex symbol. Of course, no one believes he was Elvis. Why should they? His best friend at the home, who is black (Ossie Davis), insists he's JFK. Together they team up to battle the spirit of an Egyptian mummy who is sucking the souls out of the people in the home.

``Weirdest script I ever read,'' says Campbell, who lives in Oregon. ``And I (have) been in some weird movies, but I just loved the fact that they're just old. That for me just put it over the top.'' The actor, who admits to sneaking appearances into big-budget movies once in awhile but is proud of being a B-movie star, says as preparation he worked with an Elvis impersonator. After 45 minutes the impersonator quit, Campbell says, and told him, ``Look, man, you're never get going to it. I said, 'OK, thanks for the help.' ''

Instead he watched documentaries, because ``I wanted to know about the guy. His persona in 'Clambake' wasn't going to teach me anything.'' And to get into the role, all Campbell had to do was show up for the shoot. ``Elvis is just a crabby guy with a broken hip. After 2 1/2 hours of makeup in the morning, it was easy. I was crabby and broken.''

``Bubba Ho-Tep (Limited Collector's Edition)'' (MGM; $27.90). Includes commentary by Coscarelli and Campbell, commentary by ``the King,'' Joe R. Landsdale reading from his story, deleted scenes with optional commentary and four featurettes.

From TV's vaults

Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is raised from the dead at the beginning of the sixth season of ``Buffy the Vampire Slayer.'' Then she and her 20-something pals try staking their claim to adulthood (marriage plans, bad relationships and added responsibilities) while continuing to stake a number of vamps and monsters.

Remember Adam on ``Northern Exposure''? He was the name of the Bigfoot-like creature rumored to be in the woods around Cicely, Alaska, where Dr. Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow), a hip New Yorker, has gone as a way of paying off his medical-school debt. Adam wasn't the only odd character on the show, which is why this CBS series always had a quirky charm. We are introduced to the town's interesting characters (played by Barry Corbin, John Corbett, John Cullum, Darren E. Burrows and Janine Turner) in the first-season DVD set - but note there are only eight episodes because it was a midseason replacement.

Now that you only have reruns in which to kick around the stuffy radio-show host/psychologist Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), you might want to check out ``Frasier - The Complete Third Season.'' The multiple Emmy-winning sitcom - which boasts one of the best casts ever for a comedy series in Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, John Mahoney, Peri Gilpin and Jane Leeves - was hitting on all cynical cylinders then.

``Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Sixth Season'' (Fox; $59.90). The six discs include commentary by the show's makers, featurettes, Easter eggs, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences panel discussion and outtakes.

``Northern Exposure - The Complete First Season'' (Universal; $59.90). The two discs include eight episodes, extended and deleted scenes, outtakes from every episode and video documentary footage.

``Frasier - The Complete Third Season'' (Paramount; $49.95). The four- disc set includes all 24 episodes from the 1995-96 season, interviews with Grammer and Hyde Pierce, and other features.

Rob Lowman, [phone]

robert.lowman(at)dailynews.com

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ELIJAH WOOD: In ``The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King''